The present invention relates to medical pumps for the delivery of medicines to patients under controlled rates and dosages and in particular to a pump sensor for characterizing this flow.
Medical pumps, such as syringe pumps or peristaltic infusion pumps, are known for computer-controlled delivery of medication or contrast agents (henceforth drugs) to patients over a period of time. Typically the drug is delivered in a syringe (for a syringe pump) or a flexible bag (for peristaltic infusion pump) that may be connected to an IV line attached to a needle for insertion into the patient. When a nurse or other health care professional ministering to the patient receives the drug, the healthcare professional reviews the drug description for correctness and enters the desired dose and rate into the pump. The syringe or IV line must then be mechanically connected to the pump mechanism and the mechanism activated to begin pumping. Failure to properly install, set up or connect the drug container properly to the pump can raise safety issues.
During the pumping operation, the drug flow may be automatically monitored by one or more sensors that detect proper operation of the medical pump. Different such sensors may detect, for example, flow rate, line pressure, the presence of bubbles in the drug and the like.